Jak and Daxter: Hard Line
by Frontline
Summary: When a new Chieftain rises up in the Marauders, Jak and a squad of Freedom League commandos are sent to deal with him. Jak butts heads with Lieutenant Varo, the leader of the Commandos.


**JAK AND DAXTER, AND ALL RELATED CONCEPTS, ARE THE PROPERTY OF THEIR CREATORS. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED OR PROFIT MADE FROM THIS WORK OF FICTION.**

Jak crouched behind the barricade, switching his morph gun to its rifle mode and glanced at the soldiers around him. Each one was indistinguishable from the next, helmeted and armoured, their visored visages evoking mixed emotions. When he had first encountered them, they were worn by the Krimzon Guard who had hunted him through Haven City. After the death of Baron Praxis, the armour had been adopted by the Freedom League, the new protectors of Haven City, whom Jak had fought alongside and had shared a strong camaraderie. However, these guys were something else. Each soldier wore a stylised lightning bolt on their shoulder plates, the unit patch of Thunder Squad, an elite unit of the Freedom League Commando Brigade. He'd heard rumours and stories about them, but this was his first time working with them.  
_And, with any luck, my last._ He thought to himself. _What a bunch of hardheads._  
Pushing those thoughts away, he turned to Daxter.  
'You okay, Dax?' He asked, and his best friend looked up at him.  
'Sure, Jak. I'm only in some old, abandoned mine in the middle of nowhere with a horde of Marauders coming to kill us!' He said, and Jak grinned.  
'Yeah. Just like old times.' He said, just as Lieutenant Varo came on the radio.  
'Alright, stand ready, people.' He said, turning to Jak.  
'Listen up, Hero Boy. No grandstanding, you hear me?' He said and Jak felt his anger rise.  
'What's that supposed to mean?' He asked and Varo leant closer.  
'You think you're pretty hot stuff, don't you, Hero Boy? Well, I've known many soldiers who thought they were heroes and, you know what, they're dead. So, stick to the plan or I'll blast you myself. I'm not having you put my squad at risk.'  
Jak felt his anger rise, but he pushed it down, with an effort. Even so, he wasn't going to let it slide.  
'Yes, sir.' He said, etching his words with sarcasm and Varo clenched his fist, just as a war cry echoed through the cavern.  
'Set cover.' He yelled and the squad took aim with practiced precision, their weapons snapping up in synchronisation. Jak crouched lower, keeping his rifle down, watching as the Marauders poured into the cavern. They were dressed in rough leathers, with metal masks covering their faces, brandishing a selection of crude hand weapons, their war cry filling the cavern. The Marauders were a warlike desert tribe who took what they wanted by strength. Jak took aim with a grim smile, feeling his adrenaline surge and his finger tightened on the trigger. It had been too long since he'd been in a good fight. Despite his dislike of the commandos, he had to admit that they knew what they were doing. They had established their defences on a single plateau, which was only accessible by a narrow bridge, which would severely limit the Marauders ability to overwhelm them. The Marauders surged closer and still the commandos weren't firing, Jak feeling like his blood was boiling. He was about to fire when Varo's hand grabbed his rifle barrel and forced it down, grabbing his collar.  
'Wait!' He snarled and Jak pulled free from his grasp, just as Varo activated his radio. 'Aron! Now!'  
A bolt of blue energy lanced out from the left, throwing the first Marauder off his feet. Before they could react, a second shot struck the next one, Jak looking to the higher ledge behind him to see Corporal Aron sighting along his sniper rifle, dropping another with a pinpoint shot. With another cry, the Marauders increased their speed, racing towards the bridge. To his credit, his focus didn't waver, keeping his eye glued to his scope, firing with a calm, steady precision.  
'Fire at will!' Varo yelled and the remaining Commandos opened fire, a hail of red lasers pouring into the Marauders, precise arcs of fire that tore into their lines. However, for every warrior that they felled, another two took their place and they reached the bridge, surging across it.  
'You stay here! Protect Aron!' Varo yelled, raising his voice. 'Thunder Squad, to me.' He vaulted over the barricade and charged towards the line of Marauders, firing as he went, his Squad following him. As they reached the Marauders, he turned his rifle and struck the nearest Marauder in the ribs and knocking him off his feet, before shooting the one that had been charging from his left. The Commandos fought with a disciplined precision, clearing a space around them, holding the line against the horde of Marauders with teamwork and skill. They drove them back, Varo and three others crossing the bridge, while the others took up firing positions along the perimeter. Jak chafed at the bit at being left behind, but he forced himself to focus, taking aim at the edges of the battle, as well as dealing with anyone that broke past them and headed towards Aron. Yet, for all their courage and skill, the Commandos were being forced backwards and Jak could see that they weren't going to be able to hold it. Varo clearly knew that, too, because he gestured with his hand and two of the Commandos broke away, racing back over the bridge and taking firing positions on the other side. Varo and the remaining commando then turned and ran back over the bridge, pinpoint fire from their comrades keeping the Marauders off their backs. However, one got through, leaping towards Varo in a frenzy of bloodlust. Varo turned just as the Marauder struck him solidly in the chest, knocking him off the ledge and into the chasm below.

'Man down!' Sergeant Gyrresson yelled. 'Thunder Squad, to me!'  
The Commandos formed up, firing at the approaching horde, managing to keep them from crossing the bridge. However, several leapt off the ledge after Varo, with murder in their eyes. Jak vaulted over the barricade and raced towards the Commandos, just as Gyrresson began giving orders.  
'Biosso, Liani, get to the Lieutenant. We'll hold them here and...'  
'You'll need all your men to hold them off!' Jak yelled, joining him at his side. 'I'll go!' Gyrresson hesitated for a moment and then nodded. 'Do it. We'll buy you time.' he responded.  
'Daxter!' Jak called, throwing the Morph Gun to him. 'Buy me some time.'  
'Uh, won't you need it?' Daxter asked, but Jak had already turned and jumped over the edge.

Jak landed in a crouch, seeing Varo lying unmoving on the floor, with four Marauders standing over them. One of them, wearing battered shoulder plates daubed with what he hoped was red paint, drew a knife and knelt down beside him. Next second, he was staggering backwards, hands clutching at his throat, his own knife held firmly in Varo's grip. With one move, Varo came to his feet and kicked the next Marauder in his chest, driving him backwards and throwing the knife overhand, burying it in his chest. Jak charged towards him as Varo caught a punch that was aimed at his head, flipping his attacker off feet to hit the ground with enough force to knock him out. Jak barrelled into the last one, his uppercut lifting him off his feet.  
'What are you doing here?' Varo yelled.  
'Saving your sorry hide.' Jak shot back, as another war cry filled the cavern and more Marauders dropped over the edge, surging towards them.  
'Get out of here!' Jak yelled, stepping forward. 'I'll deal with them."  
Varo grabbed his rifle from the ground and moved to stand next to Jak, shooting a Marauder that had just jumped from the ledge.  
'That's my job.' He snarled. 'Now, get clear.'  
'Your squad needs you, if they're going to hold that bridge.' Jak retorted. 'I can handle this.'  
Varo hesitated for a second and then turned and raced over to the cliff wall, scrambling up as fast as he could. Jak wanted to see if he reached the top, but he needed to look out for himself. The first Marauder reached him and he ducked under the sword that would have taken his head off, punching the Marauder off his feet with an uppercut. He fought desperately, dodging, blocking and striking as hard as he could, pressing his advantage. With the press of Marauders around him, they were hampered and could only reach him a few at a time and he could strike without having to worry about who he hit. He kicked another back into the three others behind him, turning to punch the next one across the jaw and grabbing the shoulders of a third, driving his knee into his stomach. Even so, he knew that he could not hold on forever. He had to buy time for Varo to get clear. For the first time, he wished that the Oracle had not purged the Dark Eco from him. It would have come in handy right now. He drove another Marauder back with a punch to the stomach, feeling his strength beginning to fade, his arms aching painfully. He couldn't hold out much longer.  
'Jak! Duck!'  
He heard Daxter shout and he threw himself flat a second before a hail of blue laser fire cut down the Marauders. He turned to see Daxter standing on the ridge above him, lowering the Vulcan cannon with a grin.  
'Move it, Daxter. We can't hold them forever.' He heard Varo yell and Daxter threw down a rope. Jak turned and ran, jumping and grabbing it, beginning to haul himself up.  
'Jak!' Daxter shouted and Jak looked back to see a Marauder closing in on him. He kicked out, catching him in the face, knocking him back for a second. The Marauder recovered and started climbing after him, pulling himself up with ease. Jak's arms ached but he pushed himself harder, hauling himself over the edge. He struggled to get to his feet as the Marauder reached the top, knowing that he was too slow. Then, a blast of red energy blew past him and dropped the Marauder back into the chasm. He turned to see Daxter holding the Scatter Gun, a satisfied grin on his face.  
'Uh-huh. Who's the Ottsel?' He said, jumping onto Jak's shoulder and handing him his weapon, exchanging a quick high five.  
'Thanks, Dax.' He said, before turning back to the fight. With Varo back in command, the Commandos were driving the Marauders back from the bridge, halting the tide of their advance. As Jak watched, he saw a figure enter the cavern, a large muscular Marauder with a large horned helmet and spiked gauntlets.  
_Bruhz!_ Jak thought, glancing across at Varo. If we can get to him, we can stop this now.  
Varo clearly had the same thought, because he turned to Gyrresson.  
'Sergeant, we need to end this.' He said and Gyrresson nodded, Varo gesturing to Jak.  
'You up to this?' He asked and Jak nodded, slapping a new cartridge into the Scatter Gun.  
'Let's do it.'  
With a wordless cry, the Commandos charged, firing as they ran and Jak fell in with them, pushing his aching limbs harder. Surprised by the ferocity of their assault, the Marauders fell back, leaving a clear path towards Bruhz. Varo surged ahead of Jak, shoulder charging Bruhz and knocking him back, bringing his rifle up in one smooth movement. Faster than Jak could follow, Bruhz dropped to the floor, his leg scything out, taking Varo's legs from under him. Jak charged past him and tackled Bruhz, trying to land a punch on him, but Bruhz was stronger than he expected. He grabbed Jak by the neck and lifted him off the ground, fingers tightening around his throat. There was a dull thump and Jak felt himself falling, as Varo cannoned into Bruhz, the two men landing in a heap. Varo struck him twice, before Bruhz swept him away with a powerful kick, coming to his feet, staggering for a second and Jak seized his chance. Jak grabbed the Scatter Gun from where it had fallen and fired, the blast of energy throwing Bruhz off his feet to land in a heap, unmoving. Varo advanced cautiously and knelt down, feeling at his neck.  
'He's alive.' He said and Jak took a moment to glance at the battle. As expected, the Marauders were retreating at the defeat of their leader fleeing as fast as they could from the cavern, under fire from the Commandos. Movement made him turn back and he saw Varo draw his knife from his belt.  
'What are you doing?' Jak hissed, his hand closing around his wrist and Varo shook him off.  
'He's too dangerous to be allowed to live.'  
'Oh, yeah?' Jak said, gesturing around at the fleeing Marauders. 'They've all just seen him be beaten. He won't be Chieftain for much longer.' Jak reached down and removed his helmet, revealing the scarred and weather beaten face beneath. 'They'll get the message.' Jak said, standing up.  
'It's one thing to kill in battle, but this is murder. We're supposed to stand for something better than this.'  
Varo held his gaze for a moment and then slipped the knife back into its sheath,  
'Alright, kid.' He said. 'Let's get out of here.'

**THANKS FOR READING. I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT. ANY REVIEWS, COMMENTS OR CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISMS ARE VERY WELCOME.**


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